lf of "superficial baggage". Nor did he publicize what he had set out to do. Chris' journey was a personal crusade of a search for inner and outer solitude, of life off the land, of ridding self of that which hinders us from being ourselves. His was a search of what life is about, and I greatly admire his personality, his intellect, and his strength in having done what he did. I admire his quest for knowledge, his seeking own identity, and what he might find (as well as, to a certain degree his naivety and stupidity, although this is what killed him, yet both of these are what kept him on this quest. The saying "God watches out for fools and drunks" is true in Chris' case--God kept him safe for a long time so that Chris could discover what he discovered for himself). No, Chris certainly does not represent an American character in today's society--he represents and can be associated with someone from the great tradition of American literature, from Huck Finn to Jack London and from Thoreau to Ernest Hemingway....
